A block appeal, and cuirassier progress.

With the Waterloo anniversary fast approaching I need to get a shift on painting the units that I have here intended for the Vintage Waterloo game planned by Ian and Roy. The 12th regiment are done (save for a final check through for errors/touch ups etc), and the 4th regiment are about half painted. These cuirassiers have taken some work and progress is slower than anticipated, but I won't rush them as I want to produce a couple of special units. I'll follow up with a couple of Prussian Landwehr battalions! I'm also painting more ACW's for John in the background as well as slowly adding to my WW2 late war collection in 15mm.

12th Cuirassiers - still need final detail checks and a satin varnish. No doubt I'll also add more highlights to the horses to bring them 'up' a little more.

A Waterloo block appeal!
Having made the decision not to build up armies of my own and instead to fight the Commands & Colors Napoleonics Waterloo scenario on the day, I am on the lookout for a few spare wooden infantry blocks. These will be used to create Highlanders, Brunswick, Dutch & Belgian, Polish, Swiss etc using the nice 'unofficial' stickers that are to be found on the C&CN forum. Some examples you can see HERE. Should anyone happen to have a couple of leftover blocks they won't use I would be delighted to make use of them. Any colour will do as I can repaint them to match. Please drop me a line:   lgramson@yahoo.com  Many thanks.

Memoir '44 adaptions.
Having completed painting of the Open Fire box set I must admit that currently I'm happy to enjoy using all of the miniatures with memoir games! With a lot of other commitments at the moment it's probably not the right time for me to be learning a new set of rules. I have the basics of Flames of War, I have played through the main rules, but the next stage of collecting and building scenery/terrain etc is not something I can get into right now.

I was pleased to read of some interesting variations on Ross' blog of the Memoir rules and I will be giving these a try next game. Makes a lot of sense and does not affect the overall flow of the game, for example artillery need spotters to range in, infantry cannot hit on armour unless armed with bazooka/panzershreck/ panzerfaust etc or in direct assault, and commanders are added. Should be fun, and of course with Memoir '44 what it may lack in fine detail it makes up for it in sheer speed of play and excitement.

In order to  use my own 'air support' rule with memoir I now have an appropriate model plane for both sides - purely for show of course! - having added a JU87 to my little late war Spitfire. I might go for the Typhoon next, in fact I can see myself building up a collection of these aircraft models.

And finally for now DOG NEWS! ... it's been unseasonably warm recently here on the Kent coast, with loads of day trippers over on the beach. Even the sun lounger hire guy had his loungers out (£5.00 all day), and we don't normally see him until June. On such days I like to be out early in the mornings with the dogs when it's quiet. Poppy the pup has come on very well and is still kept in her place by Marcie the Retriever, who at 12 years of age is in remarkably good form for her breed at this age. I love to watch them play fighting, huge sharp teeth, but so gentle together, occasionally if Poppy gets a little too feisty she will get a little reminder who's boss, but once tired Poppy will fall asleep on top of Marcie, who seems not to care.